another chance
by asosa02
Summary: He had never seen her before, yet this overwhelming feeling of familiarity washed over him, as if he had known her for years. / jeankasa reincarnation au
1. cherry blossoms

Silky black hair fluttered past Jean as the girl walked out the door of the small cafe.

It was that silky black hair mixed with the delicious scent of cherry blossoms that caused Jean to stop abruptly in his tracks, making his best friend Marco run straight into his back.

"Hey- Jean!" The freckled boy whined, rubbing his nose.

"Sh-Shit. Sorry, Marco.." Jean mumbled an apology but never took his eyes off the girl as she walked, her long silky hair trailing behind her. He had never seen her before, yet this overwhelming feeling of familiarity washed over him, as if he had known her for years. He peeled his eyes away to the vivid red scarf fluttering to the floor.  
And in a matter of seconds, he was scrambling out the door, running after the girl who smelled of cherry blossoms with her red scarf in his hands. Jean could hear his friend calling after him but he kept running, pushing past strangers and ignoring their yells.

"O-Oi! Excuse me!" He called out desperately. The girl was almost an arm's length from him and he could smell her-  
 _Fucking hell, Jean, could you get any creepier?_ He scolded himself before stopping quickly, his breath hitching in his throat. The raven-haired girl had turned to face him, her dark eyes piercing his as she stared him down and he couldn't help but stare back because _holyfuckingshithell she was gorgeous._

"Yes?" Jesus fuck, even her voice was gorgeous.

"I-I'm sorry.. Y-You forgot this.." Jean stammered, mentally cursing his stuttering for showing how nervous he was. He held out the red scarf in his hand, the soft material flowing in the wind gently. Her eyes stayed locked on his as she reached out to grab it. Her soft hand grazed his rough, calloused one and Jean felt a shock run through his body. He could feel his chest tightening and his heart pounding. He watched as she wrapped the scarf around the creamy pale skin of her neck, the darkness of her hair clashing with the redness of the fabric in such a beautiful way. God, everything about this woman was gorgeous. From her black silky tresses to her pale and porcelain complexion tinged with pink from the cold, her long eyelashes fluttering and framing her dark piercing eyes, her long legs and ample curves. He was almost certain she was an angel incarnate.

 _Wow Jean, falling for a complete fucking stranger, way to go!_ He thought to himself, shaking his head.

"Thank you." She said softly, her dark eyes meeting his yet again. "I appreciate it."

"Mikasa! Hurry up, we're going to miss our movie!" A voice interrupted, coming from a tall brunette with striking green eyes waiting in front of the theatre.

"I should be going. Thank you again." And with that, she was gone.

"U-Uh yeah.. No problem." Jean murmured, starstruck as he watched her jog to catch up with the boy before they disappeared into the theatre.

"Jean! There you are! What was that all about?" His best friend's worried tone came from behind him. Jean turned to face Marco, a giant grin etched onto his features.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Bodt. Let's go." He dismissed the question as they walked.

 _Mikasa._ God, he loved her name.

Jean couldn't help but smile like an idiot as they walked.


	2. nightmares

_Jean watched in horror as he saw the giant reach out and grab Mikasa from the air. He watched as she flailed and stabbed at the giant's hand before crying out, a loud snap ringing out that Jean was positive was her legs. Suddenly, he flung himself into the air, slicing at the beasts reaching out for him and weaving between their giant hands, desperate to get to the girl. His heart sank to his stomach when he saw the giant bringing Mikasa to its ugly face, it's mouth opening widely and dangling Mikasa above it._

 _"_ _MIKASA!"_

 _Another loud crunch rang out as her blood splattered on the front of his uniform, his eyes wide with fear. He couldn't save her._

Jean woke from his sleep with a gasp, panting as sweat dripped down his forehead. It had been a week since he had first saw Mikasa. A week since the nightmares had started. Nightmares of giant, ugly monsters. Nightmares of his friends and comrades dying. Nightmares of _her_ dying. These nightmares had gotten so bad he would wake up in a cold sweat, screaming for Marco or Mikasa. Night after night, Marco would run in to make sure he was not being murdered.  
Jean glanced at the clock by his bedside, the green numbers flashing 10:28. Marco should be at work by now, leaving Jean alone in their apartment.

He got up, walking to the bathroom and looking at himself. Dark bags had formed under his hazel eyes, showing the lack of sleep he had been getting for the past week. His unruly, ash brown hair stuck up this way and that from his dark undercut. Jean sighed heavily and cupped water in his hand before splashing his face with it. He dried his face then brushed his teeth, attempting to fix his hair before giving up and covering it with a beanie. He went to his room, got dressed then left the quaint little apartment.

Jean grit his teeth at the cold biting at his face, shoving his hands in his coat pockets as he walked towards the small cafe. The cafe where he had seen her. He shook his head, trying to rid his thoughts of the raven-haired beauty that had been ruining his sleep for the past week. The little bells chimed as Jean walked through the door, heading to the counter and ordering a regular coffee. He paid then took his usual seat, sipping at his coffee as he scrolled through his phone. He didn't notice the little bells chiming again or the scent of cherry blossoms entering the little cafe. He didn't notice Mikasa's dark gaze on him as she ordered her hot cocoa. He finally looked up when he heard a chair scraping against the tile, seeing Mikasa taking the seat across from him and staring at him as if this was normal. Jean nearly choked on his coffee, gasping as heat rose to his cheeks and his heart pounded suddenly.

"F-Fuck- I didn't see you, I'm sorry-" He strained to speak. How the fuck did she manage to turn him into such a blushing and stuttering mess?

"It's alright." Her soft voice made his heart skip a beat and her eyes shone with amusement. "I'm sorry for running off the other day, I didn't even get to ask your name." Her eyes stared at him over her cup and he felt himself wither under her gaze.

"Oh, don't apologize! You were busy, I get it." He mustered up a small smile, quickly meeting her gaze before locking his eyes back on his coffee. Mikasa stared at the strange boy before letting out a breathy chuckle.

"I'm Mikasa Ackerman." She announced, holding out her hand to him. Jean looked up before reaching his hand out to grab hers and shake it. Fuck, her skin was so damn soft.

"R-Right. I'm Jean. Jean Kirschtein." She managed to smile softly before letting his hand go.

"Pleasure to meet you, Jean. Is it French?" Mikasa questioned, sipping at her hot cocoa again and crossing her legs. Jean smiled at the way his name rolled off her tongue, he loved when she said it and how she pronounced it perfectly.

"Mhm." He responded, shoving his phone in his pocket. Her gaze stayed unwavering on him.

"Interesting. So tell me about yourself, Kirschtein." She rested her chin in her palm.

"U-Uh.. Whaddya wanna know?"

"Anything. You, your family, what you do for a living, hobbies, anything."

"W-Well.. Uh. Let's see. I grew up with just my mom.. My dad left before I was born so it's always been just me and her. I liked it though, my mom always tried real hard to make sure I had everything I wanted, always made sure I was happy. I really love her. I went to Trost Elementary and middle school, then we moved to Shiganshina. Went to Shiganshina High for a while, then dropped out and did online. Now, I'm 23, I live with my best friend Marco in this little apartment. It's not anything special but it's good enough for the two of us. I make art to try to pay the bills, I've always wanted to be a successful artist. Hasn't been working out too well yet but I'm not giving up. I know it sounds lame. But yeah, that's about it." He shrugged, stopping himself from rambling on. Mikasa just stared at him while she took it all in.

"Art? That actually sounds really cool." There was an intrigued look in her dark eyes. Jean felt his heart swell.

"Ah.. Thanks. So, uh, what about you? Your parents, your life?" Her face suddenly dropped.

"There's not much to say. I grew up in Shiganshina with my brother Eren and friend Armin. I lived a peaceful, uneventful life with them. It's always been Eren and I since his mother died. His father was always busy with work, so we learned to live on our own. I live with both of them still. I work at this little pizza place. I hate working there but it pays my part of the bills." She finished, her eyes on her hot cocoa as she sipped at it. Jean nodded, though he was confused. If she really had lived such a peaceful life, why did she get so upset by his question? He stared at her and frowned. She looked so small and closed off now. Nothing like the strong woman he first met who held herself up with pride. Her shoulders were hunched as her sad eyes stared into her cup. Jean couldn't help but feel sorry for asking about her life, but he didn't know why. From what she said, she seemed to live a happy life. So why did she look so sad? That look made him want to protect her. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and never let go, to let her know she was safe. It was that same urge he had felt in his dreams.

"Jean?" Her small voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her to see her gathering her things.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry-" He raked a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Don't be.. I should get going now." She got up, pulling her black coat over her shoulders.

"W-What? If it's because of what I said, I'm sorry, Mikasa. I really am. I just can't help my stupid ass mouth, it always puts me in these shitty situations." He blurted out, frowning. She stared at him for a while, no emotion on her face. Then she held her hand out. Jean looked at her hand then up at him, confusion on his face.

"Wha-?"

"Your phone, can I see it? I'll give you my number." She explained, a small smile on her face.

"O-Oh! Right," Jean pulled his phone out of his pocket, handing it to her. He watched as she typed the numbers in, tilting her head a bit before handing it back to him.

"It was nice seeing you again, Jean." The bells chimed as she walked out the door. He watched her leave before checking his phone. A small smile was on his face, reading the letters that spelled out Mikasa. A little smiley face emoji was beside her name which made him chuckle to himself.


	3. invitation

A loud sigh left Marco's lips as he watched his best friend pace their living room. It had been two days since Jean had last seen Mikasa, and he had (somehow) managed to score her phone number even after fucking up by asking her about her past. Currently though, he was stressing whether he should text her or not.

"Jean, it's been two days.. I'm sure it's fine if you text her now." Marco tried, with no success, to console his roommate.

"What if she just gave me her number to make me feel better and she really doesn't want me to text her? What if I text her and she just gets annoyed and makes fun of me with her friends?" A deep frown tugged at Jean's lips as he raked a hand through his ash brown hair. His freckled best friend just rolled his eyes.

"Jean, if she didn't want you to text her, she wouldn't have given you her number! People aren't that mean." He shook his head, his eyes following Jean.

"Wrong, Marco. Remember that girl from high school who did just that? Gave me her number and let me make a fool out of myself." Jean huffed at the memory while Marco laughed.

"Jeez, you're thinking about this too much! Just text her already! You'll regret it if you don't." He had to admit Marco did have a point. Jean sat beside Marco and took out his phone, tapping Mikasa's name as his fingers hovered over the keyboard.

"What do I say?" He asked, his teeth digging into his lower lip.

"Mm, I dunno.. Just say hey and ask her how she is... You know, like normal people." Marco teased, turning his attention to the book in his lap. Jean rolled his eyes, letting out a deep breath before typing.

- **Hey, Mikasa! It's Jean.** He pressed send then quickly set his phone down, watching the phone anxiously. Minutes passed, but to Jean it felt like hours. Finally, his phone chimed. He scrambled to pick it up, unlocking it and reading the message.

 **-Hey, Kirschtein.** Another chime rang out.  
 **-It's about time you texted me.** Marco had laughed at her reply. "I told you!" He snorted. Jean just shook his head.

- **Yeah, sorry. I've just been busy. How are you?**

 **-It's okay. But I'm good, I was actually just about to text you.** His head tilted a bit in confusion at her reply. Why would Mikasa want to text him?

- **Really? What for?**

 **-My brother, Eren, the one I told you about? He's throwing a party tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come. You can bring your friend if you'd like.** His heart fluttered with excitement and Jean silently thanked whatever god or being there was up there.

 **-Yeah, we'd love to come! What time?**

 **-Great! You can come around 8. There's gonna be alcohol, but you can always bring some.**

 **-Alright, sounds good! See you then, Mikasa.**

 **-See you, Kirschtein. :)**

Jean tossed his phone aside, a giant shit-eating grin making way on his face. Marco noticed his friend's dumb smile and couldn't help but smile himself.

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"She invited me to a party, Marco! Well, us, if you want to come. Fuck, thank God I texted her, huh?" Jean chuckled, getting up and checking the time. It was barely five. He groaned with impatience before heading to his room, deciding he would make use of his time to properly get ready. Marco wasn't surprised when he heard loud music pouring out of Jean's room, which only happened when he was either extremely sad or extremely happy. Marco knew it was the latter.


	4. her past

Jean couldn't help the stupid grin on his face as he jumped into the car with Marco, pulling up the address Mikasa had sent him and starting to give directions. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, because holy fucking hell he was. He had taken up his three hours to shower, shave his scruffy little beard, and huffily go through his closet to find something decent to wear. Marco reassured him that it was just a casual party and after an hour of searching through his closet, Jean had eventually settled for a white band tee with black jeans and a black zip up jacket. He had decided against a beanie today because he actually took the time to fix his hair, which never happened. He made sure to brush his teeth for the third time that day, as well as put on the expensive cologne his mother had bought him for his birthday.

Jean had tapped his fingers to the radio as Marco drove towards the party. It wasn't long before they arrived, and even though they had arrived ten minutes past eight, the party already seemed to have started. Music poured out the open windows of the house, mixed with laughter and talking. Jean waited in the car for a moment before taking in a deep breath.  
 _Just stay calm, Jean. We don't want Mikasa to think you're a weirdo who has a crush on her even though you've only met twice. Oh wait, you are!_ Jean thought to himself before shaking his thoughts away and getting out of the car, grabbing the bottle of vodka and the beers they had bought for the party. Marco and Jean walked up to the door, Marco knocking on it three times and waiting.

"You okay, Jean? You look nervous." His freckled best friend tilted his head as he examined the brunette.

"I'm fine. It's just cold." He kept his stare on the door, though he knew he was lying.

"Ohh, I know, you're nervous to see Mikasa!" Marco laughed out loud. "I can't wait to meet her."  
This caused Jean's cheeks to heat up immediately.

"Oh shut it, freckles." He grumbled before the door swung open, revealing the very person they were talking about. There Mikasa stood, dressed in black jeans that clung to her figure and a red velvet tank top that revealed more than he had seen the past times they had met, as well as black heels. Her red scarf was not around her neck for once, leaving her neck and chest bare. Jean couldn't help but stare at her.

"Jean, I'm so glad you made it. Come in," She moved aside and the two stepped in.

"You must be Mikasa, I'm Marco-" Marco began to introduce himself.

"You're Jean's best friend, right? Pleasure to meet you." She held her hand out and shook Marco's hand before turning to Jean, who was still staring in awe. Fortunately, he pulled himself out of his gaze.

"Hey, Mikasa.. We brought vodka. Oh, and beers!" He handed her the alcohol and closed the door behind them.

"Oh, thank you. I'm gonna go set these in the kitchen, make yourselves comfortable." She said before heading to the kitchen. Jean and Marco shrugged off their jackets, setting them in a pile before heading into the living room. The smell of weed and alcohol drifted through the hazy living room while loud music resonated in Jean's chest. He definitely didn't expect Mikasa to host a party like this where everyone was high or drunk.

"Marco, is that you?" Marco and Jean both turned to face a short girl with black hair tied in two loose ponytails, a shocked look on her face.

"Ah, Mina!" Marco quickly rushed over to the girl, embracing her in a tight hug. Jean watched in confusion as the two walked away engaged in conversation, leaving him standing awkwardly in the living room by himself. He cursed to himself before taking a seat in the far corner, looking around the room at everyone talking. Jean was never good at making friends. He always kept his friend group to about two or three good friends, mainly because not many people could tolerate his bad attitude or loud mouth or sarcasm. So he was always lonely, not that he minded.

"Here." The smooth voice pulled him out of his self wallowing and he looked up to see Mikasa, offering him a beer.

"O-Oh. Thank you." She nodded in response and sat beside him.

"Where's your friend?" She asked curiously, drinking out of a red solo cup, grimacing at the taste. He chuckled.

"Marco? He met up with some girl and they left.. Mina, I think?" He took a long drink from his beer.

"So they just left you alone?" Her voice was distant though, and he looked up to see what she was focused on. He saw her inky eyes locked onto the tall brunette from the other day. Jean assumed it was Eren. His face was flushed red, his green eyes lidded as he laughed loudly at something a small blonde was telling him. Mikasa's usual stoic look was on her face, but her eyes were filled with worry for the boy.

"Mikasa, is everything alright?" She turned to face Jean before nodding and drinking out of her cup again.

"Yeah. Come on. I'll introduce you." Mikasa got up, heading towards Eren as Jean followed.

"Eren, this is Jean. The guy who found my scarf." Mikasa nodded to Jean as Eren's hazy green eyes looked him up and down. Up close, Jean could smell the alcohol in his breath and the scent of weed radiating off him.

"Pleasure to meet you, John." His words were slurred and he swayed gently. "Hey, you gonna finish that?" He lazily pointed a finger towards the beer in Jean's hands. He was about to speak when Mikasa piped up.

"Eren." Her voice was stern yet still soft. "You've had enough to drink, you're swaying. Go sit down." She had begun to push him towards a seat when Eren jerked away, his eyes suddenly ablaze with annoyance and anger.

"God, Mikasa, I'm not your little brother or your kid!" He snapped angrily, rolling his eyes. His tone made Jean's fists clench.

"Eren, I'm just trying to protect you." She still spoke softly, yet there was a hint of impatience in her voice. She had reached out to grab him again.

"Knock it off, Mikasa! You don't have to fucking watch out for me all the time! You're not mom!" The brunette shouted, slapping her hand away from him. She pulled her hand back quickly and before she could say anything, Jean had stepped in.

"Hey! She's just trying to make sure you're okay, stop being such a prick!" He seethed angrily. Jean grew up being taught to respect women, to treat them kindly and to never, ever hit them. So seeing Mikasa being treated so poorly made his blood boil. Hadn't his mother taught this kid any fucking manners? Jean's words obviously did nothing but piss Eren off even more and he shoved the taller boy angrily.

"This has nothing to do with you, fuck off!" Eren shouted angrily, Mikasa still trying to calm him down to no avail. People had gone silent now as the two boys yelled at each other.

"You shouldn't talk to her like that, especially if she's just trying to look out for your dumbass!" He had shouted back. "Didn't your mother teach you how to treat a woman?!"

And of course, Jean let his big mouth get him into trouble yet again because as soon as he said that, Eren had lunged forward and punched Jean square in the nose. He was sent stumbling back, cursing as blood dripped from his nostrils.

"Fucking asshole!" Jean spat before he landed a punch to Eren's lip. And before things had gotten any worse, Mikasa had pulled Eren away forcefully while someone had done the same to Jean, dragging him to the kitchen.

"What the hell?! I was just about to kick that kid's ass!" He groaned, turning to see a tall freckled girl with her arms crossed, her brows furrowed.

"Quit yelling. If anything you should be thanking me for saving your ass. You don't know Eren when he's like this." The girl had huffed before turning her attention to a short blonde girl who had come into the kitchen.

"Ymir, is he okay-?" The blonde asked, her eyes shifting from the freckled girl to Jean, gasping. "You're bleeding!"

"Really?" He huffed sarcastically, ignoring Ymir's glare.

The blonde ignored his sarcasm and pushed him to sit in a chair at a table filled with cups and liquor and snacks.  
"Ymir, could you get me a rag?" She turned to the brunette, who nodded and walked away. "I'm Krista, by the way. The taller girl is Ymir."

"I'm Jean."

"I heard." She nodded and offered him a small smile. Ymir returned with a damp rag and Krista tilted his head back gently, starting to clean up the blood that had dripped to his chin.

"Is Eren always that much of a dick?" He asked, pinching his nose to try to stop the blood from flowing.

"Not always. He's just a bit... stubborn, I guess? And he gets angry easily, especially when he's drunk." She explained, carefully dabbing at the blood with the wet cloth. "I guess what you said about his mom really pissed him off. I'm sure it pissed Mikasa off too."

"I pissed Mikasa off?! Fuck." He groaned. "I was just trying to stick up for her, I shouldn't have said shit about his mom but.. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that."

"I'm sure you already know this, but Mikasa's strong. She can stick up for herself, and she has." Ymir started. "They get into an argument like that everyday, Eren's just stubborn and wants to do things on his own and Mikasa's very protective of him." Krista nodded to confirm what Ymir said, cleaning up all the blood and handing him a tissue to soak up the rest off the blood.

"Why's she so protective of him anyways? He obviously doesn't like it." Jean grumbled, holding the tissue to his nose.

"Don't you know? When Eren's mom died, Mikasa swore that she would protect him, just as he had protected her when her parents were killed." Krista explained. The confused look on Jean's face made Krista's and Ymir's eyes widen.

"Mikasa hasn't told you?" Ymir asked, raising a brow. Jean shook his head in response.

"Mikasa's parents were killed..?" His brows furrowed. Krista nodded and spoke quietly.

"When she was a little girl.. They were murdered right in front of her. Eren and his family took her in and took care of her. Then Eren's mom died and she promised she wouldn't let anything happen to Eren. She didn't want to lose any more family, that's why she's so protective of him." Jean's eyes were wide as he processed all the information Krista was giving him. So _that's_ why she had gotten so upset.

 _Fuck, Kirschtein, you're a real idiot._ He thought, frowning. As if on cue, Mikasa had walked into the kitchen as Krista and Ymir got up and left, heading back into the living room where the music had started playing again.

"I'm sorry about Eren." She pulled the chair next to him and sat beside him, examining his nose. "He hit you pretty hard, huh?" Jean merely nodded, avoiding eye contact with her. They sat in silence for a while, Mikasa staring at him as Jean stared at the bottles of alcohol on the table.

"What's wrong?" She finally spoke, her eyes still locked on him. He finally looked up to meet her gaze. He could already feel his cheeks heating up as he tried to put words together.

"I- It's just.. I'm sorry about the other day. If I knew what you had gone through, I wouldn't have asked and I-I shouldn't have! I'm really sorry, Mikasa.. O-Oh, and I'm sorry about what I said about Eren's mom, I just can't stand seeing anyone treat you like that, you don't deserve it. I would never have said that if I knew-" Jean stopped himself from continuing his rambling, his eyes locked on Mikasa. She had shifted her gaze to the bottles this time, that same sad look from the other day was on her face and it broke Jean's heart. She looked so helpless, he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go, let her know she was safe. Her lower lip trembled and she bit down on it gently, taking in a deep and shaky breath before willing herself to look at him.

"Who told you?" Mikasa asked softly, no emotion in her voice as usual.

"U-Uh, Krista, I think? Fuck, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything-" He clenched his fists a bit at his own stupidity, frowning and looking down. All he wanted to do was make this girl happy. So far, he didn't think he was doing a good  
job.

"Stop apologizing. It's not your fault." Now she was the one staring at him.

"But-" He stopped talking once he felt Mikasa's soft hand resting on his clenched one, his heart immediately beginning to race and a blush creeping to his cheeks.

"Jean, stop. You didn't know. It's okay, I promise." The girl smiled at him reassuringly, it was small but it made his stomach do fucking back flips.

"O-Okay.." That was all he could utter, praying his voice didn't crack. Mikasa suddenly got up and grabbed a bottle of vodka in one hand, her other hand grabbing Jean's as she tugged him out of his seat and towards the stairs. The boy stumbled a bit as he followed her, his cheeks bright red as he walked up the stairs with Mikasa.

"W-Where are we going?" He mustered up the courage to finally speak.

"My room. It's too loud down there."


	5. memories

Jean felt his stomach drop, but not in a bad way. More in a "is this really fucking happening right now" way. He felt the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Mikasa, unaware of the effect she had on Jean, pulled him to the top of the stairs and into a dark room. She finally let go of his hand to flick on the lights, moving past him to take a seat on her bed. Jean was left standing in the room, looking around. It was a pretty big room, the familiar scent of cherry blossoms filling the room. There was a big bed near the window with pictures strung up on the wall as well as what looked like Christmas lights. Some posters littered the walls, a desk in the corner of the room beside the bed. There was a little bookshelf as well, tiny plants on top of it.

"Jean, can you close the door? The music's loud." Mikasa's voice broke Jean out of his observing. He nodded then closed the door, looking over to see her patting the spot beside her on the bed. He already knew his cheeks were red, his heart pumping as he moved to sit beside her.

"Why are we here?" Jean asked, proud of his voice not wavering for once. Her brows raised a bit.

"We can go back downstairs if you'd like. I just thought we could come up here and drink where it's quieter." She twisted the cap off the bottle of vodka. "I don't like when it's loud like that."

"O-Oh, it's fine, we can stay up here! I was just asking because Marco might be wondering where I was-"

"Didn't he ditch you for Mina?" A small teasing smile tugged at the corners of Mikasa's lips as she took a drink from the bottle before passing it to him.

"Oh, right." He managed to let out a breathy chuckle, taking a drink from the bottle as well. A tiny, tinkling laugh comes from the girl and it makes Jean titter like a fool. All he wanted to do from now on was make her laugh just to hear that beautiful sound again. The two drank in comfortable silence for a while, passing the bottle back and forth before Mikasa broke the silence.

"So what's your mom like?" She asked curiously, shifting to lean against the wall that the bed was against. Jean couldn't help but smile. He was the biggest mama's boy and he wasn't embarrassed about it at all.

"Ah, she's great! She's so sweet and funny, she's such a hard worker and never gives up. She's such a great mom. I told you it was just me and her, right? She always busted her ass to make me happy and make sure I had everything I needed. She gave me the best childhood I could ever ask for. She's also the greatest cook in, like, the world. And she's so pretty. Absolutely gorgeous " He paused his rambling to reach in his pocket, grabbing out his phone to show a picture of him and his mother. He handed Mikasa the phone, a picture of a chubby toddler hugging his mother tightly, bright smiles on both of their faces. He was right when he said she was gorgeous, Mikasa noticed. His mother had long ash brown hair like his and golden eyes. Her eyes crinkled up at the sides as she smiled greatly and there was a youthful glow on her face.

"She really is beautiful." She said softly, a small smile on her lips as she handed the phone back. Jean beamed happily as he scrolled through his phone for another picture. Mikasa moved closer to Jean as she watched him scroll through pictures of him and his mother, smiling as he explained each picture when he showed her them. He handed her the phone to show her a more recent picture. His mother and him were standing in front of a cake that read 'Happy birthday Jeanbo!' There were bright smiles present on their faces again, Jean's arm around his mother in a tight embrace.

"Jeanbo?" Mikasa questioned curiously as she looked up at him, watching as his cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

"T-That's just what my mom calls me.. She's called me it since I was born. I dunno why but she always has." He murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

"My parents called me Miki." She smiles fondly. "I used to hate it so much. I was so embarrassed."

"Miki? That's cuter than Jeanbo.." Jean chuckled lightly, glancing at her. Her head was bowed slightly but she was smiling. "..What were your parents like?" He immediately scolded himself after the words left his mouth.

 _Think before you speak, dumbass!_ He scolded angrily. He couldn't fuck this up again. Especially after he found out what really happened to her parents.

"They were perfect." She started, her hands wrapped around the bottle of vodka. "Papa was so funny and outgoing and.. I don't know. He was such a fun person, always joking and making me smile and laugh. And Mama was the sweetest person I've ever known. She was always so brave and strong too. She always put me and Papa before herself. They were the greatest parents a kid could ask for. Papa taught me to hunt and Mama taught me to cook. And they were so in love. When I was little I thought it was gross how much they kissed and told each other they loved each other, so they would do it more to tease me. But they really were so perfect together. I was so happy because of them." She got up once she finished speaking, going to her desk and taking out a box. She took a seat beside Jean again, opening the box and taking out pictures. Jean noticed this was the first time she had ever actually opened up to him and this was the most she's ever talked to him. Of course, he didn't mind.


End file.
